Grand Raid Cristalp 2009

It has been a busy year until now with not too much time for some decent competition mountain biking. Some where in July I decided I wanted to compete in my 10th anniversary of the Grand Raid Cristalp. I really had to motivate myself to train because of the weather, rain seems to be coming down on me especially when I had to do my endurance rides. I don’t know how many times I had to go out with my rain jacket. On one day I went out for 5 hours when it started to rain after half an hour and it didn’t stop for the remaining 4 and a half! At least it made me tough!
Anneke had her half ironman the weekend before mine, so we packed the car and left for her race in Germany first, after which we drove to Switzerland where I still had five days to prepare myself for one of the toughest mountain bike races in the world. Summer was full on by now with temperatures between 35 and 40 degrees, really warm for this part of Europe, but nevertheless good for me to do some descend riding uphill. After a week of perfect warm weather the prediction for the race was cooler and cloudy weather with a chance of a shower. Race day we had to get out early 4.30 or so with the race start at 6.30. When we came to the starting area the temperature was really mild, I think around 14 degrees instead of the 5 degrees last year which meant the temperature on the first mountain top was below zero. After the start I went for a steady good pace and did overtake some riders on the wide starting road which leads to the upper part of the town of Verbier. From there I maintained my steady pace all the way to the top where I did arrive between place 20 and 25 or so. In the first descend I was expecting to be overtaken by some really fast, crazy riders as always, but that didn’t happen and I noticed I was the one going faster down the hill than the rest. So I picked a wheel and stayed there for the 16 minutes of fast down hill. After the descend I was together with 4 riders to set a pace. I felt the strongest of the 4 and after half an hour I had to leave my group behind to make sure I didn’t lose too much ground on the group in front of me. In the village of Nendaz, down one of my favorite parts the ski-slope which leads in to town, with at the end a sharp lefthander which brings you straight on to a steep staircase.

2.25 hours:
After some more ski-slopes I arrived in the village of Hérémence where I got some fresh bottles from Anneke who was following me by car. From here you have to keep your head cool and make sure getting over the next mountain named the Mandelon fast with not too much energy loss. I was only 10 minutes behind the leading group so still on a good pace. The top part of the Mandelon is a bit tricky with fast single tracks along the edge of the mountain and rocky parts up and down. Most of the time it is wet up there, which makes it more slippery, this year there were dry and wet parts. My ride went smooth.

4.10 hours:
After a fast descend I arrived in the town of Evolène, Again fresh bottles and some lube and I was feeling better than ever before. From Evolène it is up hill again, the last one but also the toughest, it goes up to almost 3000 meter. With this pace it would probably take me 3 hours to get to the other end. This last clime is a bit tricky with moving obstacles on the track, called slower riders! There are two shorter distances to compete in, where the competitors start in the villages of respectively Hérémence and Evolène. So eventually the faster riders from Verbier will bump into slower riders of the shorter distances. A free pass is most of the times guaranteed by shouting “VERBIER“. Reactions of rider on hearing “VERBIER” are really different, you have the ones that jump to the side to let you pass, than there are the riders who want to go to the side but are already so tired they go to the side reeeeeealy sloooowly, and there are the ones you have to tell three times and then have to push to the side.

5.45 hours:
I arrived in La Vieille at 2400 meters which is the last post before this horrifying clime to the Pas-de-Lona (2800m). I just got passed by two riders, but was able to keep one of them in sight. The first bit after La Vieille it is still possible to cycle, but soon after you have to get off your bike and push it up hill, this climb is fighting against gravity, lack of oxygen and steepness! I felt really good fighting my way to the top, and just before the top I got a really fast push by this sporty lady.

6.19 hours:
Pas-de-Lona. A short descend and then again up to 2800m, but this one you can cycle. I had never felt this good so far in the race and on the top of the climb I did overtake a rider. From here it is 25 minutes down hill to the finish. I was flying and finished in 7 hours and 4 minutes, almost 40 minutes faster than my second fasted time ever. So the next edition of the Grand Raid is already on my agenda.
(Photo Link)